New Delhi: Telecom operators may be allowed to offer differentiated connectivity or internet speeds and charge varied rates for specialised services such as gaming, healthcare, autonomous vehicles, and smart factories from individual mobile users and enterprises, with the government considering a review of net neutrality norms, people aware of the details told ET.

Current norms bar telcos from offering such services but rapid advancements in technology, especially 5G slicing, have made the current net neutrality norms appear as too rigid and dated.

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Net neutrality means there should be equal or non-discriminatory treatment of the internet, including speed and latency, without any throttling or deliberate blocking, degrading or granting preferential speeds or treatment to any content.

The norms were officially adopted in India in 2018.

However, since the roll out of 5G services in the country in 2022, confusion and ambiguity has emerged over the applicability of the rules, specifically around 5G slicing, forcing the government to consider a review.

"We have sent a reference to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to work on the matter and suggest what changes or clarifications have to be incorporated in the net neutrality rules," said an official privy to the matter, asking not to be named as the details are not public.

European Union (EU) countries and others are currently reviewing net neutrality rules, while the US has revoked federal net neutrality rules. Some states in the US have their own net neutrality regulations.

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The official, however, emphasised that safeguards would be enforced to bar any 'walled garden' type of approach or functioning. "The internet will remain free and paid preferential treatment to select content like to a particular website will not be allowed," the official said.

Under 5G slicing, telcos can create multiple slices on the same infrastructure, with each slice operating as an independent network where bandwidth can be customised as per requirement. Slicing allows telcos to run virtual networks for specific use cases such as gaming, healthcare, autonomous vehicles and robotics.

How Slicing Works
European Union (EU) countries and others are currently reviewing net neutrality rules, while the US has revoked federal net neutrality rules. Some states in the US have their own net neutrality regulations.

The official, however, emphasised that safeguards would be enforced to bar any 'walled garden' type of approach or functioning. "The internet will remain free and paid preferential treatment to select content like to a particular website will not be allowed," the official said.

Under 5G slicing, telecom companies can create multiple slices on the same infrastructure, with each slice operating as an independent network where bandwidth can be customised as per requirement. Slicing allows telcos to run virtual networks for specific use cases such as gaming, healthcare, autonomous vehicles, smart factories, and robotics.

Each slice can function for a particular service while normal internet services like surfing and watching content would remain untouched on a separate slice.

While there are no specific rules barring 5G slicing but utilising it to offer different or specialised services can be interpreted as a violation due to the preferential treatment.

Bharti Airtel has already launched a service that utilises 5G slicing to offer differentiated service, including better speed and latency, to its post-paid customers. This service is currently being examined by the sector regulator and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). Similarly, Reliance Jio has announced plans to utilise 5G slicing capabilities to improve coverage and capacity in dense urban areas.

Countries like the US, UK, Singapore, Malaysia, and China leverage 5G network slicing to offer differentiated services to consumers.